


Best of Times, Worst of Times

by emit98



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Angst, Death, Future Fic, Gen, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 07:51:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15310869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emit98/pseuds/emit98
Summary: As Jason gets older, he keeps learning again and again how painful life can be.





	Best of Times, Worst of Times

The year is 1986. Jason sits on the stage of his high school auditorium amongst his classmates. All are dressed in their caps and gowns. It is graduation day.

The day that is supposed to be a big deal is bittersweet for Jason. His father, Marvin, is in a hospice center. He tried to insist on going to Jason’s graduation, but he was getting worse by the day. They caught the disease too late. Mendel assured Marvin that he would film the ceremony, and afterwards, they would get take-out and meet up back there to watch the video. 

Jason’s name is called. He stands up, walks across the stage, and shakes the principal’s hand as he is handed his diploma. In the third row is his family: Trina, Mendel, and his baby sister, born a few months after they lost Whizzer. They all clap for him. Mendel then puts his hand back on the video camera to steady it.

The rest of the ceremony is a blur for Jason. He smiles when he’s supposed to smile. He congratulates some of his classmates. 

Then, it’s time to go to the hospice. Trina insists that Jason keep his graduation gown on for Marvin. Jason puts the cap on his baby sister, who laughs at how silly she feels with it on. 

As they walk inside, Jason’s stomach is in knots. They get closer to Marvin’s room, and nurses are swarming the hallway. The sight is not unfamiliar.

One of the nurses approaches them. She’s a younger woman, and one of Marvin’s favorite nurses. Her make-up is smeared.

She tells them what happened. Jason already knows. Her words seem to fade. Trina starts to cry. Mendel puts a hand on her shoulder.

Jason just nods, feeling too wracked with guilt to say anything. 

After the funeral service, Trina invites everyone to her and Mendel’s home. Family members that Jason had not seen in years come up to him and congratulate him on graduating. They coo over the latest addition to the Weisenbachfeld family, who is toddling around in her fancy funeral dress, oblivious to the sadness. Being only two, it’s understandable. They compliment Trina on her beautiful home. They avoid talking about Marvin, and how he died. And how he contracted the illness that killed him. 

Marvin’s most recent lover shows up but sits on the couch, not talking much to anyone. Jason never liked him. He was always too quiet and awkward. He reminded Jason too much of how Marvin used to be. When Marvin got bad, he completely disappeared. Jason felt that he didn’t deserve to be around, but Jason was not going to make a scene.

Charlotte and Cordelia showed up as well. They had moved to another state; Charlotte never liked the city much. Cordelia immediately pulls Jason into a big hug. She also hugs Trina and Mendel as soon as she gets a chance. She comments on how they should have asked her to cater. Charlotte glares at her. She apologizes for their loss, and ends up talking to Jason about his plans for after graduation. She tells him about what to expect from medical school.

When everyone is gone, Jason is relieved. He feels like he’s barely breathed since his graduation day. Now, the inevitable is all over and done with.

~

The year is 1991. Once more, Jason sits in an auditorium surrounded by people in caps and gowns. This time, he is graduating from college. He had majored in accounting. He had started his college education with the goal of becoming a doctor. He wanted to be like Charlotte, and help make a difference for people who were sick and dying. After a rough freshman year, he had given that up in favor of accounting. Marvin had been an accountant. 

The college graduation has far more people than his high school graduation. The building was hot, and everyone was eager to get things over with. 

Afterwards, Trina and Mendel take Jason out for a nice dinner. They’re both getting older, and it shows. Both have more grey hairs and more wrinkles. While not elderly, their age shows. As they eat, the youngest Weisenbachfeld talks about how excited she is to go to college, even though she still has plenty of time. Jason assures her that growing up sucks. Trina smacks his shoulder lightly. Everyone is happy.

Over dinner, Mendel orders a bottle of expensive wine. Trina questions if that’s a good idea, given what his doctor told him. Mendel insists; it’s a special occasion. The youngest Weisenbachfeld asks if she can have some, and everyone laughs. 

The pleasant buzz lingers during the drive home. When they arrive home, Mendel takes an antacid tablet. The three adults stay up late into the night, drinking adult beverages together and talking about life. Jason shyly tells them about his girlfriend. He had been dating her for about a month, and wasn’t sure yet if he wanted to introduce her to his family yet. But in that moment, everything felt warm and happy. 

Then, Trina tells Jason how proud Marvin would be. She tells him how proud Whizzer would be. Then, she starts crying. Mendel takes her glass away and tells her she’s had enough in a light-hearted tone before hugging her. They then start getting kissy, and Jason excuses himself to go to bed. His childhood bedroom was now used for storage; he had an apartment by his school. The room was full of boxes, with Jason’s old twin bed tucked behind them all. 

He notices one of the boxes has a photo album on top. Jason grabs it and starts flipping through it. It’s full of pictures from after his parents’ divorce to Jason’s fifteenth birthday. A lot of the earlier pictures are just of Jason doing various things. A few pictures of his parents with tight-lipped smiles are there, too. Then came the happier pictures. Pictures of Jason playing baseball. Pictures of Trina and Mendel. Pictures of Whizzer and Marvin. Pictures of Charlotte and Cordelia. 

Jason’s favorites were the ones from Marvin’s New Year’s Eve party, shortly before Whizzer got sick. There were a couple posed ones. One had all seven of them, with Jason front and center. Whizzer, drunk as hell, had insisted that Jason take photos with all his sets of parents. He then insisted Jason take a picture of him and Marvin kissing. Jason had groaned in disgust but taken it anyways with Whizzer’s fancy camera. 

There were a couple pictures from Jason’s bar mitzvah. He flips past them quickly. Maybe someday, he’ll be able to look at them without crying. 

As he looks at pictures of Trina during her pregnancy, his eyelids get heavy...

The next morning, Jason is jolted awake at the sound of his little sister screaming. He stumbles out of bed. He and Mendel both make it to the bathroom at the same time. She is standing in the door, eyes wide in horror. Jason feels his stomach twist when he sees what made his little sister scream. 

Trina is laying on the bathroom floor. An empty pill bottle lays by her. 

Mendel tells Jason to get the child away, and call 911. Jason does both, even though its too late for the paramedics to do anything. 

Mendel finds Trina’s antidepressants in the cupboard. The prescription was filled two weeks before her death, and was unopened. He blames himself for Trina’s death. 

~

The year is 1998. Jason’s girlfriend turned into his fiancé, and is soon to be his wife. He stands in front of the mirror of the hotel room, dress shirt on and jacket laying on the bed. His best man had ran off to get Jason’s shoes from the car, leaving Jason alone to collect his thoughts. 

He goes to sit on the edge of the bed. Jason grabs a photo album he had prepared just for that day. In it were pictures of his parents, including Marvin and Trina’s wedding day. He had showed the pictures to his fiancé a few days before. She commented that he was the spitting image of his father, but with his mother’s eyes. He flips to the pictures of Mendel and Trina’s wedding day, then to a few pictures of his father and Whizzer. Jason wished they could all be there. He never imagined that his mother wouldn’t be at his wedding. 

He never imagined his mother wouldn’t know his future wife. 

His best man knocks on the door, and Jason sets the photo album to the side to answer it. He is soon all dressed up in the tux and the shoes. 

Jason takes his position by the altar. First comes the groomsmen, then the bridesmaids. His little sister is with the groomsmen, looking equally sharp and euphoric in her suit. She had begged and begged to be a groomsman instead of a bridesmaid. Fifteen years of age, she hated all things feminine, except girls. Her passion for girls was only surpassed by her passion for photography. Mendel tried to compromise to make sure she didn’t appear too “queer” in public, as the world was a cruel place. But Jason had allowed her to be a groomsman, and she was thrilled. 

Then came the bridesmaids. Jason’s face breaks into an impossibly huge smile when his soon-to-be wife comes down the aisle. 

She looks breathtaking, like a princess out of a fairytale. She is wearing the same sapphire earrings Trina had worn at her wedding; they fell under “something old”, “something borrowed”, and “something blue”. 

They had chosen not to go with a traditional Jewish ceremony, much to the dismay of Jason’s side of the family. He hadn’t been to temple in years. Not to mention, his fiancé wasn’t Jewish.

Mendel sits in the front, grinning proudly. He had aged terribly after Trina’s death. His hair was falling out, his joints were achy, and his heart condition had worsened considerably. Despite all the hardships, he remained cheerful. 

Vows are exchanged, then rings. Jason and his now wife kiss, and everyone cheers.

Then wedding transitions to the reception. Everyone is having a good time, enjoying the food and the music and the open bar. Jason and his wife run around, thanking everyone for coming. When Jason approaches his aunt, Marvin’s sister, she smiles warmly. She declares that she’s glad he didn’t end up like Marvin. Jason asks her what she means, even though he knows what she means. She goes quiet. Jason asks again. She says she’s glad he’s not gay. His wife grabs his arm and pulls him to the next table after giving his aunt an overly cheerful than-you.

The rest of the reception goes fine. The rest of the relatives know to keep their judgmental comments to themselves. Jason catches Mendel drinking champagne. Mendel insists that he’s fine; it’s a celebration.

At the end of the night after everyone goes home, Jason and his wife leave for their honeymoon. They planned a trip to Europe. Their plane leaves late at night. 

The honeymoon is two weeks long. Jason and his wife have an amazing time, seeing all the famous sights of Europe. On the way home, they make a layover in Maine. While waiting for the next plane, Jason turns on his cellphone. It is a state-of-the-art Nokia. He had called Mendel and his sister from the hotel phones in Europe, but had kept his cellphone off. He has two voice mails. Odd, because he told his work that he was not to be disturbed while on his honeymoon. 

He listens to them, and his heart falls. The first one is from a strange male he doesn’t recognize. They just say to call him back regarding his stepfather. The second one is from his sister. She is obviously crying. She begs Jason to call him as soon as he can.

Jason calls her. She tells him that Mendel is in the hospital, and asks when he’ll be home. Jason tells her he’ll be back in a few hours, and he’ll be right there. 

Upon getting back to New York, Jason has his wife go home to drop off their luggage, and he takes a taxi to the hospital. He finds out there from the doctor who called him that Mendel had a heart attack earlier that day. Jason goes into the hospital room. His sister is sitting there in a sweatshirt and pajama pants. She has bags under her eyes. Mendel is laying in the hospital bed, smiling weakly when he sees Jason. Jason asks if he’s okay. Mendel insists on hearing about the honeymoon first.

Mendel falls asleep before Jason’s wife gets to the hospital. He doesn’t wake up.


End file.
